Sahih Muslim (Volume 5): With the Full Commentary by Imam Nawawi

By Imam Abul-Husain Muslim

Imam Nawawi's commentary on Sahih Muslim is one of the most highly regarded works in Islamic thought and literature.

Accepted by every sunni school of thought, and foundational in the Shaafi school, this text, available for the first time in English, is famed throughout the Muslim world.

After the Qur'an, the prophetic traditions are the most recognised source of wisdom in Islam. Amongst the collected Hadith, Sahih Muslim is second only to the the collection of Imam Bukhari.

With a commentary by Imam Nawawi, whose other works are amongst the most widely-read books on Islam, and translated by Adil Salahi, a modern scholar of great acclaim, this immense work, finally available to English readers, is an essential addition to every Muslim library, and for anybody with an interest in Islamic thought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9780860377245

Imam Abul-Husain Muslim

Abū al-Ḥusayn ‘Asākir ad-Dīn Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj ibn Muslim ibn Ward ibn Kawshādh al-Qushayrī an-Naysābūrī or Muslim Nayshāpūrī, commonly known as Imam Muslim, was an Islamic scholar from the city of Nishapur, particularly known as a muhaddith. His collection of Islamic writings are regarded as the second most authentic.

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Sahih Muslim: With Full Commentary by Imam al-Nawawi by Adil Salahi; Volume FiveSahih MuslimSahih Muslim: With Full Commentary by Imam al-Nawawi; Translated and Edited by Adil alahi; Volume Five; The Islamic Foundation & ICMG Australia

Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: With Full Commentary by Imam al-Nawawī, volume 5

First published in England by

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With special thank you for the immense contribution of ICMG Youth Australia.

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CONTENTS

Transliteration Table

Preface

Before You Read

BOOK OF TRAVELLERS’ PRAYERS

Chapter 1: Prayer When Travelling and Shortening It

Chapter 2: Shortening Prayers at Mina

Chapter 3: Praying at Home on Rainy Days

Chapter 4: Praying Sunnah on One’s Mount

Chapter 5: Combining Two Obligatory Prayers During Travel

Chapter 6: Combining Prayers When in Residence

Chapter 7: Turning to Either Direction After Prayer

Chapter 8: The Preferability of Standing to the Right of the Imam

Chapter 9: No Sunnah Prayer When the Iqāmah is Announced

Chapter 10: What to Say When Entering a Mosque

Chapter 11: Greeting the Mosque

Chapter 12: On Returning From a Journey, a Prayer in a Mosque is Desirable

Chapter 13: The Desirable Prayer in Mid-Morning [i.e. Ḍuḥā ]

Chapter 14: The Fajr Sunnah Prayer

Chapter 15: Regular Sunnah Before and After Obligatory Prayers

Chapter 16: Sunnah Prayers May Be Offered Standing or Seated

Chapter 17: Night Prayer and the Number of Rakʿahs the Prophet Offered

Chapter 18: A Total View of Night Prayers

Chapter 19: The Awwābīn Prayer

Chapter 20: Night Prayers Two Rakʿahs at a Time, Witr is One Rakʿah Late at Night

Chapter 21: Fearing not Waking up for Witr

Chapter 22: Long Night Prayer is the Best

Chapter 23: A Time at Night when Supplication is Answered

Chapter 24: Supplication and Glorification at the Tail End of the Night

Chapter 25: Night Worship During Ramadan: Tarāwīḥ

Chapter 26: Supplication During Night Prayer and Worship

Chapter 27: Long Recitation in Night Prayer

Chapter 28: Sleeping into the Morning

Chapter 29: It is Preferable to Pray the Sunnah at Home

Chapter 30: Permanent Voluntary Worship

Chapter 31: Feeling Drowsy During Prayer

Chapter 32

and 33: The Qur’an and Its Memorisation

Chapter 34: Improving One’s Voice When Reciting the Qur’an

Chapter 35: The Prophet’s Recitation of Surah al-Fatḥ on the Day Makkah Fell to Islam

Chapter 36: Qur’anic Recitation Imparts Serenity

Chapter 37: The Status of One Who Memorises the Qur’an

Chapter 38: The Status of Reciters of the Qur’an

Chapter 39: Reciting the Qur’an to One Who Excels in it Even if the Reciter is of a Higher Status

Chapter 40: Listening to the Qur’an

Chapter 41: Reciting the Qur’an in Prayer and Learning It

Chapter 42: Reciting the Qur’an and Surah al-Baqarah (The Cow)

Chapter 43: Reciting al-Fātiḥah and the End of Surah al-Baqarah (The Cow)

Chapter 44: Surah 18, The Cave and the Verse of the Throne

Chapter 45: Reciting Surah 112

Chapter 46: Reciting the Last Two Surahs

Chapter 47: The Merit of One Who Recites and Teaches the Qur’an

Chapter 48: The Qur’an is Revealed in Seven Pronunciations [i.e. Ḥarfs ]

Chapter 49: The Proper, Not Too Fast, Recitation

Chapter 50: On Variant Recitations

Chapter 51: Times When Prayer is Discouraged

Chapter 52: ʿAmr ibn ʿAbasah Embraces Islam

Chapter 53: Prayer at Sunrise and Sunset

Chapter 54: The Two Rakʿahs the Prophet Offered After ʿAṣr

Chapter 55: Two Rakʿahs Before Maghrib

Chapter 56: A Prayer in Between Every Two Calls

Chapter 57: Prayer in a State of Fear

BOOK OF FRIDAY PRAYER

Chapter 0: .......................................................

Chapter 1: A Bath on Friday is a Duty for Adult Men

Chapter 2: Using Perfume and Brushing One’s Teeth on Friday

Chapter 3: Listening to the Friday Sermon [i.e. Khuṭbah ]

Chapter 4: A Special Hour

Chapter 5: Friday, Our Best Day

Chapter 6: Guided to Friday

Chapter 7: Arriving Early on Friday

Chapter 8: Listening to the Sermon [i.e. Khuṭbah ]

Chapter 9: The Time of Friday Prayer

Chapter 10: The Two Speeches Before the Prayer

Chapter 11: Distraction at the Time of the Khuṭbah

Chapter 12: The Gravity of Neglecting Friday Prayer

Chapter 13: A Light Prayer and a Short Khuṭbah

Chapter 14: Greeting the Mosque During the Khuṭbah

Chapter 15: Teaching During the Khuṭbah

Chapter 16: What to Recite in Friday Prayer

Chapter 17: Recitation in Prayer on Friday

Chapter 18: Sunnah Prayer After Friday Prayer

BOOK OF EID PRAYER

Chapter 1: The Eid Prayer and Khuṭbah

Chapter 2: Women Attend the Eid Prayer

Chapter 3: No Prayer Before or After the Eid Prayer

Chapter 4: What to Recite in Eid Prayer

Chapter 5: Fun and Enjoyment During Eid

BOOK OF PRAYER FOR RAIN

Chapter 0: .......................................................

Chapter 1: Raising One’s Arms When Supplicating for Rain

Chapter 2: What to Say When Supplicating for Rain

Chapter 3: Reaction to Natural Phenomena

BOOK OF PRAYER AT A SOLAR ECLIPSE

Chapter 1: Prayer at the Time of Eclipse

Chapter 2: Torment in the Grave Mentioned in the Eclipse Prayer

Chapter 3: What the Prophet Saw of Heaven and Hell in the Eclipse Prayer

Chapter 4: Reporting Eight Bows and Four Prostrations

Chapter 5: The Announcement for Prayer at an Eclipse

BOOK OF FUNERAL PRAYER

Chapter 1: Remind the Dying to Declare God’s Oneness

Chapter 2: What to Say When Suffering a Calamity

Chapter 3: When Attending Someone Who is Ill or Deceased

Chapter 4: Closing the Deceased’s Eyes and Praying for Them

Chapter 5: The Eyes Follow the Deceased Person

Chapter 6: Weeping for the Deceased

Chapter 7: Visiting Unwell People

Chapter 8: Patience at the Initial Shock

Chapter 9: The Dead Are Tormented by Their Family’s Lamentations

Chapter 10: Strict Prohibition Against Wailing

Chapter 11: Women Should Not March with Funerals

Chapter 12: Washing the Body of the Deceased

Chapter 13: A Deceased Person’s Shroud

TRANSLITERATION TABLE

Arabic Consonants

Initial, unexpressed medial and final: Á ’

With a shaddah, both medial and final consonants are doubled.

Vowels, diphthongs, etc.

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Ever Merciful

PREFACE

We live in a time when people can spread their views around the globe at the touch of a button. Yet such views may come from people of little knowledge who can confuse and even misguide others. This is a concern that has become particularly acute with the widespread misrepresentation of Islam, both by those hostile towards it, and, unfortunately, even those who claim to profess it. Through their evil but eloquent schemes, such people can misrepresent the sacred teachings of this religion, and direct the ignorant and the ill-fated to perpetrate heinous crimes against both an innocent public and an innocent religion. Such deception and misinterpretation has sadly become all too common in our day, and among its causes is, undoubtedly, the relative inaccessibility of sound Islamic scholarship and literature in the English language. An additional cause is the suggestion that there is no difference between experts and non-experts. It is as though God never declared in His Book: ‘How can those who know be equal to those who do not know?’ (39: 9)

A plethora of problems can arise when non-experts begin to consider themselves experts on a subject matter. One can vividly illustrate with the example of a person who requires medical attention. A sensible individual would choose to be treated by a medical professional—an expert in the field—rather than risk their health by consenting to a medical procedure from someone who fancies themselves a doctor simply because they have read a medical textbook in their spare time. Indeed, there are serious legal consequences for those who claim to practice medicine without a recognized licence—one which is granted because they have been through rigorous training and examination. Such legal repercussions are entirely appropriate of course, for such frauds place people’s worldly lives at risk. Yet why is it that when it comes to our health we seek an expert opinion, but when it comes to our everlasting Hereafter so many of us prefer to follow someone who considers himself an expert after reading just a couple of books? Simply put: why do we risk our eternity by following those who are not qualified? Why do we not seek out recognized experts? As God the Almighty says: ‘ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.’ (16: 43) It is precisely to address this gap between scholarly works and non-scholarly opinions that we have endeavoured to produce this invaluable resource.

After reading the entirety of al-Minhāj in Turkish, the Director of Organisational Management at Islamic Community Milli Gorus (ICMG) Youth Australia, Adem Temel, conducted a meeting with our small team in which we studied the book and recognized how blessed we were to have access to such a stupendous work. It was evident that the renowned scholar and author of al-Minhāj, Imam al-Nawawī, may God have mercy on him, had wisdom and knowledge many today are in desperate need of. Indeed, al-Minhāj is one of the greatest and most respected commentaries on Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. While an English translation of a hadith can struggle to convey its apparent meaning, let alone the appropriate context and other subtleties, commentaries by experts like Imam al-Nawawī can shed light on hadiths more comprehensively and thus give us greater access to the intended meaning while guarding us against misunderstanding. During a subsequent meeting, our team compared the Turkish translation of Fī Ẓilāl al-Qur’an with the English translation by Dr Adil Salahi and were impressed by the remarkable consistency between the two translations. Immediately thereafter, the team made the decision to contact Dr Salahi with a view to proposing that he translate Imam al-Nawawī’s al-Minhāj into English. We were overjoyed to hear his positive response.

A number of people and organizations have contributed to this project. Firstly, this work would not have been possible without Adil Salahi’s mastery of both the Arabic and English languages. His love of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his dedication to making knowledge accessible has led to the translation of significant works from the Islamic literary heritage. Second, the ICMG Youth Australia and Kube Publishing (UK) teams worked closely to meet all project timelines. Third, many individuals and groups volunteered to support this project both physically and financially. Lastly, and most importantly, God, the Almighty, guided us, brought ease, and opened closed doors to make everything possible.

‘… and my success can only come from God. In Him I put my trust, and to Him I will return.’ (11: 88)

Halim Erbasi

ICMG Youth Australia

Director of Education

BEFORE YOU READ

There are some important points that the reader, particularly a student of Hadith, needs to bear in mind when using this book. Although these have been explained in the Introduction to the first volume, it is considered worthwhile to remind readers of the editorial method followed in this work.

1. Numbering and references

It is surprising, but there has never been a full and serial numbering of hadiths in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, and hence references to hadiths vary. A hadith is often referenced by book and chapter: ‘Related by Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter so-and-so’, and so forth. This is a difficult method of referencing, particularly because the headings of some chapters run into two or three lines, or even longer. The fullest numbering of the hadiths in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim is that given in al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras li-Alfāẓ al-Ḥadīth, but many hadiths are left without numbers. These are versions of the previous hadith, differing only in their chains of transmission, and it was probably felt that they should count with the earlier and often more complete version.

Al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras is a concordance of the words of the Prophet’s hadiths listed in the most important nine anthologies: al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasā’ī, Ibn Mājah, as well as Mālik’s al-Muwaṭṭa’, Ahmad’s al-Musnad and al-Dārimī’s Sunan. It was prepared by a group of forty Western researchers of Islamic studies under the supervision of Arent Jan Wensinck (1882–1939) and edited by the Egyptian scholar Muhammad Fu’ād ʿAbd al-Bāqī (1882–1967).i

However, al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras gives a serial number to each ‘book’ in Muslim’s Ṣaḥīḥ. Thus, it lists the numbers of the hadiths in the Book of Faith from 1 to 380, and then begins the numbering in the Book of Cleansing from 1. As such, it does not give a complete serial numbering to the entire anthology. I have therefore decided to provide serial numbering, giving every hadith its own numbered identification. In doing so, I follow the method adopted by the late hadith scholar Mūsā Shāhīn Lāshīn (1920–2009) in his 10-volume commentary, Fatḥ al-Munʿim fī Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. This method does not assign a number for a hadith that differs from the one before it only in its chain of transmission, but that has exactly the same text.

Muslim’s Ṣaḥīḥ has been translated into English by Abd al-Hamid Siddiqui. The translation is well circulated and its better known edition, published by Dār al-Salām, is available online. After looking carefully at this translation, I have decided to provide my own. However, the translation gives a full serial numbering of the hadiths listed by Muslim, bringing the total to 7,190 hadiths. This is different from Lāshīn’s method of numbering, which brings the total to 6,571 hadiths. To make it easier for readers who wish to refer to Dār al-Salām’s translation, I give the number in that translation in brackets before the chain of transmission.

Thus, three sets of numbers are included before the chain of transmission of each hadith. The first is a complete serial number following Lāshīn’s method. The second is that of al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras and the third is that of Dār al-Salām’s translation given in brackets. Where Lāshīn or al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras does not give a hadith a number, because it is the same as the hadith before it, I follow the convention of giving it the mark ‘000’. Thus, either of the first two numbers may be replaced by 000. Where Dār al-Salām’s translation omits a hadith or does not give it a number, I give it the mark ‘0’. The pattern of numbering is simplified, as follows:

This applies to all the hadiths that are entered in the anthology itself, beginning with the Book of Faith. Imam Muslim wrote a long introduction to his work, explaining his method. In it, he includes ninety-two hadiths and statements by the early scholars of Hadith. These are given separate numbers, from 1 to 92. Only a few of these are entered in al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras, because the majority are attributed to scholars of Hadith. Whichever is entered in al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras its number is stated. Dār al-Salām’s translation does not include this introduction.

When a hadith is entered in any of the other five anthologies considered to be the most authentic, I mention these in a footnote. Where no such information is given, it means that the hadith is entered only in Muslim’s anthology. The Arabic original of each hadith is given immediately after the English translation, but this applies to the main body of the anthology, not to Muslim’s introduction.

Imam Muslim divided his anthology into books, each covering an important area of the Islamic faith, such as the Book of Faith, the Book of Prayer, etc. He did not make further classification. It was left to Imam al-Nawawī to divide each book into chapters, and give headings to these. These chapters were later given numbers in al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras. The headings and their numbers are given in this translation. However, as many headings tend to be long, I have tried to reduce them while retaining the elements highlighted in the headings. It should be pointed out, however, that some of these chapters are not given numbers. Where no number is given to a chapter in al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras, it appears without a number in this translation.

There are a few instances where the same number is given to two consecutive hadiths. In order to indicate that this is not an error, but merely following the Arabic original, the repetition is indicated by the symbol [R].

2. The chain of transmission

Hadith scholars were very specific in their terminology. Therefore, when they used synonymous words, they imparted clear distinction to them. Thus, the words ḥaddathanā, akhbaranā, anba’anā, and ʿan, have different meanings, although linguistically speaking they are very similar and denote receiving information from a named person. However, ḥaddathanā is used to refer to a process whereby the teacher reads out the hadith to his students, whether he is narrating from memory or reading out loud directly. Akhbaranā and anba’anā are practically identical in meaning. However, the first refers to a process whereby a student is reading aloud from his teacher’s books in the presence of the teacher. Anba’anā does not specify this process, but means that the information was passed on by the teacher or in his presence. ʿAn, on the other hand, does not specify any process, nor does it specify that the reporter actually heard the teacher’s narration or his student’s reading out in his presence. Indeed, it could, thus, mean that the reporter heard the hadith from a colleague who was in the teacher’s circle at the time.

In order to reflect these differences, ‘narrated’ is the term used here for ḥaddathanā, ‘reported’ for akhbaranā, ‘mentioned’ for anba’anā, and ‘from’ for ʿan. However, any of the first three ways could involve a one-to-one situation in which the reporter is the only one present with his teacher. In Arabic, this is marked by changing the last letter in the three Arabic words, using ‘ī’ instead of ‘ā’. Thus the words become ḥaddathanī, akhbaranī, and anba’anī. To reflect the difference in the English translation the words ‘to me’ have been used after ‘narrated’, ‘reported’ and ‘mentioned’ to indicate the one-to-one situation, while the three words on their own indicate the presence of others when the narration took place.

Readers will also note that in some hadiths the chain of transmission includes the mark [H]. This is indicated in Arabic by the use of the letter [Ḥ], and it may occur once, twice, or even more in the chain of transmission of the same hadith. What this signifies is that the hadith is narrated by two or more chains of transmission, but these join up at some stage. Rather than give them separately, repeating the names of reporters from where they join up to the Prophet’s companion, Hadith scholars use this way to indicate that the different chains are joined at this point.

Another symbol used in the chain of transmission is [R], but this is much less frequent. It simply indicates that the number given to a particular hadith is repeated, which means that the number has been given to more than one hadith instead of giving each of them a separate number.

Sometimes Muslim narrates a hadith from three of his teachers and uses the word ‘narrated’, but their methods of learning from their teacher whom they quote differ. Muslim is too careful and meticulous to overlook this fact. He makes this clear by immediately adding something like: ‘The first said narrated and the other two said reported.’

3. Word usage

The usage of some Arabic words need to be explained. The word ‘imam’ is often used in reference to some scholars quoted in this work. It is also used in reference to both Muslim and al-Nawawī. There is, however, a very clear difference in the use of this word by Sunni Muslims and the Shia.

Linguistically speaking, imām means ‘leader’ and is often used, particularly in books of Islamic Jurisprudence, or fiqh, to refer to the ruler or the head of state, whether he has the title of caliph or some other title. It is also commonly used to refer to the person who leads congregational prayer. In this second usage, there is no difference between the one who leads the prayer and anyone in the congregation, except that the imam leads and the congregation follow.

A far more common usage of the word is as a title of respect added before the name of a scholar who is recognized for his high achievement and scholarship. This is how it is mostly used in this work. It may, however, also be used here in the sense of the ‘leader of congregational prayer’ when this topic is discussed, but as such will be clearly identified at that juncture. A scholar who is considered an imam has no special distinction, apart from what his scholarship gives him; he does not enjoy any special status. It will be noted in this work that the views of some such scholars are outlined, and discussed or rejected. This is clearly a matter of scholarly difference that does not detract from the high standing of the scholar or the one who differs with him.

The Shia have a totally different concept of ‘imam’. They give this status to twelve people starting with ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, the Prophet’s cousin, followed by eleven of his descendants through Fāṭimah, his wife and the Prophet’s daughter. To the Shia, those imams were infallible and enjoy a rank that is almost equal to that of the Prophet. Indeed, the way some Shia speak of the third Imam, al-Ḥusayn, the Prophet’s grandson, gives at times the impression that they rank him above the Prophet himself. Moreover, the Shia believe that the twelfth Imam was taken away and did not die: he will return at some point when he will bring justice to the world. This Shia concept is absolutely unacceptable to Sunni Muslims who do not recognize any such status as belonging to anyone.

We speak of a hadith having a chain of transmission and we mention ‘transmitters’. We also use the words ‘reporter’ and ‘narrator’. These three words are used interchangeably and they refer to the people named in the chain of transmission. These have the same status with regard to how the Prophet’s statement or action is taught and learnt. When we use the verb ‘narrate’ we are referring to the action of stating the hadith, whether by reading it out loud or otherwise. However, the word ‘narrate’ is often used in Islamic literature in reference to the works of the leading scholars of Hadith and what they include in their anthologies. Thus, we often see phrases like ‘al-Tirmidhī narrated …’, ‘al-Bukhārī narrated …’. It is felt that it is better to distinguish the mere quoting of a hadith and its entry in an anthology. Therefore we use the word ‘narrate’ to indicate quoting a hadith and the word ‘relate’ to mean the ‘entry in a Hadith anthology’. Thus, we say: ‘al-Bukhārī relates in his Ṣaḥīḥ’, or ‘al-Bayhaqī relates in Shuʿab al-Īmān’, or ‘al-Nasā’ī relates in al-Sunan al-Kubrā’.

The words Abū and Abī are often used in the names of hadith reporters and scholars. These two are the same word, but the endings are case markers according to their position in the sentence. Invariably, Abū is used at the beginning of the sentence and when not preceded by a name, while Abī is used when preceded by the word ‘ibn’. There are other situations that indicate which of the two should be used. Both words mean ‘father of’ and their use indicates an appellation of respect.

The word mawlā is used to describe some reporters and other persons mentioned in the commentary. This word is one of the few Arabic words that denote opposite meanings. Linguistically, it means both ‘master’ and ‘slave’, and it is used in the Qur’an to refer to God as the mawlā of the believers. When someone is referred to as the mawlā of another or of a tribe, it most frequently refers to a slave who was set free. He then allied himself with his former master or with his tribe, as this was a recognized practice in Arabia both under Islam and prior to it.

It will be noted that the phrase ‘but God knows best’ is used very frequently in al-Nawawī’s commentary and by the scholars he quotes: this is a mark of humility. They express their views but shy away from presenting these as the true and correct view, to the exclusion of anything different. It is akin to saying that ‘this is what I know, but ultimate knowledge rests with God’.

The word hadith is used with a capital or small ‘h’ and this usage indicates a difference. When it is used with the lower case first letter it refers to a single statement by the Prophet. Hence, the reference to one or more statements by the Prophet is always with the lower case. When it is used with a capital first letter, it refers to the Hadith discipline, which is a specialized branch of study, concerned with the Prophet’s statements, actions and approvals.

4. Arrangement

Imam al-Nawawī discusses three areas in relation to every hadith included in Muslim’s anthology: 1) The general meaning of the hadith and its message. He also outlines the important points it includes and highlights any rulings that it stipulates or may be based on it. 2) The chain of transmission: he identifies the different reporters, giving some information about them and their full names if they are mentioned by first name or by appellation. He also highlights any useful point that the chain provides, and explains any subtle point that reflects Muslim’s careful and meticulous scholarship. 3) He explains the language of the hadith, stating the meanings of individual words, particularly those that may be unfamiliar to readers or became rarely used. Where a word, phrase or sentence may have more than one meaning, he discusses these and shows which, if any, is unacceptable. However, he does not follow a single pattern in the arrangement of his commentary. Sometimes, he begins by discussing the chain of transmission, but often he discusses the general meaning first. He may also start by explaining the language and the meaning of individual words.

In this English version, liberty has been taken to follow a consistent pattern. The meaning of the hadith is given first and then its explanation, under the subheading ‘text explanation’, is provided. This is followed with any discussion al-Nawawī gives concerning the chain of transmission, using the subheading ‘transmission’. The information al-Nawawī provides about the meaning of individual words and the pronunciation of unfamiliar words and names has been ignored, because these are already reflected in the translation. However, when he discusses alternative meanings, what is considered useful to English readers is included. If it is a matter of pronunciation or a grammatical aspect that does not affect the meaning or the message of the hadith, this has been disregarded.

5. Quotations and references

In his monumental work, al-Nawawī cites numerous quotations from various scholars. At times, he mentions the work from which the quotation is made, but in most cases this is not done. Although his work has been checked and verified several times, and published many times in different countries, none of these undertook the task of checking the original works in order to provide detailed references. There are several reasons for this omission. Many of the original works have not been published, but remain in manuscript form held in different libraries in various countries. Moreover, many of these works are voluminous. For example, al-Nawawī often quotes from Imam al-Ḥaramayn, who wrote a large number of books. As mentioned in the biographical note on Imam al-Ḥaramayn, one of his books is published in twenty-one volumes. Although a discerning scholar may have a good guess as to the book from which a particular quote is taken, finding it may require several hours, if not days of hard work. Imam al-Nawawī died 750 years ago and we cannot blame him for not citing his references according to modern methods of citation. It should be remembered that all the books he read were written in long hand and manuscripts of the same book differed in size, number of pages and style of writing. Readers and students must simply trust to his scholarship and piety with all that he quotes from other scholars. May God bless them all for their meticulous and faithful scholarship.

6. Notes and editorial liberty

In certain cases, it is felt that a note should be added within the text to explain certain points or add a particular perspective. This is not surprising considering that the book was written nearly eight centuries ago. In order to make the addition very clear, it is preceded by the word ‘Note’ and given an independent paragraph.

In a few cases, a sentence is started by mentioning the author’s name before mentioning what he says, such as ‘al-Nawawī considers these hadiths self-explanatory, adding only …’, and in a very few cases, a short comment by the author is not included in the translation, because time has made it irrelevant and including it would be either confusing or require a long explanatory footnote. Since it is unlikely to concern the reader, it is felt that omission is better. Such liberty is taken only in cases where it is felt that had the author lived in our time, he would have approved of such omission.

Adil Salahi

London

February 2019

____________

i. Shaykh Muhammad Rashīd Riḍā gave an English copy of A Manual of the Early Muhammadan Traditions by Arent Jan Wensinck, Professor of Arabic and Islam at the University of Leiden in Holland, to one of his regular students, Muhammad

Fu’ād ʿAbd al-Bāqī, and asked him to translate it into Arabic. ʿAbd al-Bāqī, who was working as a translator at the Agricultural Bank in Cairo at the time, complied and translated the book, but first he wrote to Wensinck for his permission. Wensinck expressed delight at the idea and also sent ʿAbd al-Bāqī a copy of the first part of a concordance of the Prophet’s hadiths that he and other researchers were working on.ʿAbd al-Bāqī reviewed the work and found many mistakes. He made a list of these and sent it to Wensinck, who was delighted with the input and recruited ʿAbd al-Bāqī as editor of the entire al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras concordance.

Al-Muʿjam al-Mufahras is published in Arabic in eight volumes and is indispensable for any researcher in Islamic Studies. Words are listed alphabetically, and a short sentence or phrase in which the word occurs is given. Then the hadith which includes the sentence or phrase is referenced to any of the nine anthologies. ʿAbd al-Bāqī’s role is acknowledged by Wensinck in the Introduction, and working on this concordance enabled Muhammad Fu’ād ʿAbd al-Bāqī to subsequently undertake his own highly acclaimed concordance of the Qur’an.

BOOK OF TRAVELLERS’ PRAYERS

CHAPTER 1

PRAYER WHEN TRAVELLING AND SHORTENING IT

[1327–1]. (Dar al-Salam 1458) Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā narrated:i he said: I read out to Mālik; from Ṣāliḥ ibn Kaysān; from ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr; from ʿĀ’ishah, the Prophet’s wife; that she said: ‘When prayer was made a duty, it was two rakʿahs each, when at home and when travelling. Later, prayer on a journey remained the same but it was increased when at home’.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنْ صَالِحِ بْنِ كَيْسَانَ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ فُرِضَتِ الصَّلاَةُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَالسَّفَرِ، فَأُقِرَّتْ صَلاَةُ السَّفَرِ وَزِيدَ فِي صَلاَةِ الْحَضَرِ.

[1328–2]. (Dar al-Salam 1459) Abu al-Ṭāhir and Ḥarmalah ibn Yaḥyā narrated to me: both said: Ibn Wahb narrated; from Yūnus; from Ibn Shihāb. He said: ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr narrated to me that ʿĀ’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, said: ‘When God commanded [Muslims] to pray, He ordered it to be two rakʿahs. He later made it complete when at home, while prayer during a journey remained as it was in the first instance’.

وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ وَحَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَتْ: فَرَضَ اللهُ الصَّلاَةَ حِينَ فَرَضَهَا رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ أَتَمَّهَا فِي الْحَضَرِ. فَأُقِرَّتْ صَلاَةُ السَّفَرِ عَلَى الْفَرِيضَةِ الأُولَى.

[1329–3]. (Dar al-Salam 1460) ʿAlī ibn Khashram narrated to me:ii Ibn ʿUyaynah reported; from al-Zuhrī; from ʿUrwah; from ʿĀ’ishah that ‘When prayer was first made a duty, it was in two rakʿahs. Prayer during travel remained the same, but prayer at home was made more complete’.

Al-Zuhrī said: ‘I said to ʿUrwah: How is it, then, that ʿĀ’ishah offers the prayer complete when she is travelling? He said: She justified it as ʿUthmān did.’

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ خَشْرَمٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أَنَّ الصَّلاَةَ أَوَّلَ مَا فُرِضَتْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ. فَأُقِرَّتْ صَلاَةُ السَّفَرِ وَأُتِمَّتْ صَلاَةُ الْحَضَر.

قَالَ الزُّهْرِيُّ فَقُلْتُ لِعُرْوَةَ مَا بَالُ عَائِشَةَ تُتِمُّ فِي السَّفَرِ؟ قَالَ: إِنَّهَا تَأَوَّلَتْ كَمَا تَأَوَّلَ عُثْمَانُ.

[1330–4]. (Dar al-Salam 1461) Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Kurayb, Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb and Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm narrated:iii ʿAbdullāh ibn Idrīs (Isḥāq said: ‘reported’ and the others said: ‘narrated’); from Ibn Jurayj; from Ibn Abi ʿAmmār; from ʿAbdullāh ibn Bābayh; from Yaʿlā ibn Umayyah. He said: ‘I said to ʿUmar ibn al-HKhaṭṭāb: [God says:] You will incur no sin by shortening your prayers, if you have reason to fear that the unbelievers may cause you affliction. (4: 101) People now live in security’. He said: I wondered the same as you wonder, and I asked God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) about it. He said: ‘This is a charity God has given you. You should accept His charity’.’

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُونَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عَمَّارٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ بَابَيْهِ، عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِعُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ: لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا، مِنَ الصَّلاَةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا، فَقَدْ أَمِنَ النَّاسُ. فَقَالَ: عَجِبْتُ مِمَّا عَجِبْتَ مِنْهُ، فَسَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: صَدَقَةٌ تَصَدَّقَ اللهُ بِهَا عَلَيْكُمْ، فَاقْبَلُوا صَدَقَتَهُ.

[000–000]. (Dar al-Salam 1462) Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr al-Muqaddamī narrated: Yaḥyā narrated; from Ibn Jurayj. He said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn Abi ʿAmmār; from ʿAbdullāh ibn Bābayh; from Yaʿlā ibn Umayyah: ‘I said to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb…’ the same as Ibn Idrīs’ narration.

وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْـمُقَدَّمِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ أَبِي عَمَّارٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ بَابَيْهِ، عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِعُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّاب. بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ إِدْرِيسَ.

[1331–5]. (Dar al-Salam 1463) Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā, Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr, Abu al-Rabīʿ and Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd narrated:iv Abu ʿAwānah (Yaḥyā said: ‘reported’ and the others said: ‘narrated’); from Bukayr ibn al-Akhnas; from Mujāhid; from Ibn ʿAbbās. He said: ‘God has made prayer obligatory through your Prophet (peace be upon him): at home four rakʿahs, on a journey two rakʿahs and only one rakʿah in situations of fear’.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ وَأَبُو الرَّبِيعِ وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ يَحْيَى أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرُونَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ بُكَيْرِ بْنِ الأَخْنَسِ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: فَرَضَ اللهُ الصَّلاَةَ عَلَى لِسَانِ نَبِيِّكُمْ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: فِي الْحَضَرِ أَرْبَعًا، وَفِي السَّفَرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَفِي الْخَوْفِ رَكْعَةً.

[1332–6]. (Dar al-Salam 1464) Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and ʿAmr al-Nāqid narrated: both from al-Qāsim ibn Mālik. ʿAmr said: Qāsim ibn Mālik al-Muzanī narrated; Ayyūb ibn ʿĀ’idh al-Ṭā’ī narrated; from Bukayr ibn al-Akhnas; from Mujāhid; from Ibn ʿAbbās. He said: ‘God has made prayer obligatory through your Prophet (peace be upon him): two rakʿahs for a person on a journey, four rakʿahs for a person at home and one rakʿah in situations of fear’.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَعَمْرٌو النَّاقِدُ، جَمِيعًا عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ عَمْرٌو: حَدَّثَنَا قَاسِمُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ الْـمُزَنِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ بْنُ عَائِذٍ الطَّائِيُّ، عَنْ بُكَيْرِ بْنِ الأَخْنَسِ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَرَضَ الصَّلاَةَ عَلَى لِسَانِ نَبِيِّكُمْ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: عَلَى الْـمُسَافِرِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَعَلَى الْـمُقِيمِ أَرْبَعًا، وَفِي الْخَوْفِ رَكْعَةً.

[1333–7]. (Dar al-Salam 1465–1466) Muhammad ibn al-Muthannā and Ibn Bashshār narrated:v both said: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated; Shuʿbah narrated; he said: I heard Qatādah narrating from Mūsā ibn Salamah al-Hudhalī. He said: ‘I asked Ibn ʿAbbās: How should I pray if I am in Makkah and I do not pray with the imam? He said: "Two rakʿahs. Such is Abu al-Qāsim’s sunnah".’

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْـمُثَنَّى وَابْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ قَتَادَةَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ سَلَمَةَ الْهُذَلِيِّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ كَيْفَ أُصَلِّي إِذَا كُنْتُ بِمَكَّةَ إِذَا لَمْ أُصَلِّ مَعَ الإِمَامِ؟ فَقَالَ: رَكْعَتَيْنِ سُنَّةَ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.

Muhammad ibn Minhāl al-Ḍarīr narrated: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ narrated; Saʿīd ibn Abī ʿArūbah narrated [H]. Muhammad ibn al-Muthannā narrated; Muʿādh ibn Hishām narrated; my father narrated; both from Qatādah, with the same chain of transmission: a similar text.

وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مِنْهَالٍ الضَّرِيرُ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ، ح. وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْـمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي جَمِيعًا، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ نَحْوَهُ.

[1334–8]. (Dar al-Salam 1467) ʿAbdullāh ibn Maslamah ibn Qaʿnab narrated:vi ʿĪsā ibn Ḥafṣ ibn ʿĀṣim ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb; from his father. He said: ‘I was in Ibn ʿUmar’s company [travelling] on the way to Makkah. He led us in Ẓuhr Prayer, offering it in two rakʿahs. He then moved forward and we moved with him until he reached his camel where he sat, and we sat with him. He then happened to turn his face towards the place where he prayed and saw some people standing [in prayer]. He asked: What are these people doing? I said: They are praying the sunnah. He said: "Were I to pray the sunnah, I would rather have completed my [obligatory] prayer. My nephew, I accompanied God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) on travel and he never offered more than two rakʿahs until God gathered his soul. I accompanied Abu Bakr and he never offered more than two rakʿahs until God gathered his soul. I also accompanied ʿUmar and he never offered more than two rakʿahs until God gathered his soul. Then I accompanied ʿUthmān and he never offered more than two rakʿahs until God gathered his soul. God says: ‘In God’s Messenger you have a good model [to follow]’ (33: 21)".’

وَحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ بْنِ قَعْنَبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ حَفْصِ بْنِ عَاصِمِ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: صَحِبْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ فِي طَرِيقِ مَكَّةَ. قال: فَصَلَّى لَنَا الظُّهْرَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ وَأَقْبَلْنَا مَعَهُ حَتَّى جَاءَ رَحْلَهُ وَجَلَسَ وَجَلَسْنَا مَعَهُ. فَحَانَتْ مِنْهُ الْتِفَاتَةٌ نَحْوَ حَيْثُ صَلَّى، فَرَأَى نَاسًا قِيَامًا، فَقَالَ: مَا يَصْنَعُ هَؤُلاَءِ؟ قُلْتُ: يُسَبِّحُونَ. قَالَ: لَوْ كُنْتُ مُسَبِّحًا لأَتْمَمْتُ صَلاَتِي. يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، إِنِّي صَحِبْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي السَّفَرِ، فَلَمْ يَزِدْ عَلَى رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى قَبَضَهُ اللهُ . وَصَحِبْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ، فَلَمْ يَزِدْ عَلَى رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى قَبَضَهُ اللهُ. وَصَحِبْتُ عُمَرَ، فَلَمْ يَزِدْ عَلَى رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى قَبَضَهُ اللهُ. ثُمَّ صَحِبْتُ عُثْمَانَ، فَلَمْ يَزِدْ عَلَى رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى قَبَضَهُ اللهُ. وَقَدْ قَالَ اللهُ لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ.

[1335–9]. (Dar al-Salam 1468) Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd narrated: Yazīd (meaning Ibn Zurayʿ) narrated; from ʿUmar ibn Muhammad; from Ḥafṣ ibn ʿĀṣim. He said: ‘I was ill, and Ibn ʿUmar came to visit me. I asked him about praying the sunnah during travel. He said: I travelled with God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and did not see him offering sunnah prayer. Were I to pray sunnah, I would have completed [the obligatory prayer]. God says: ‘In God’s Messenger you have a good model [to follow]’.’

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ (يَعْنِي ابْنَ زُرَيْعٍ) عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ عَاصِمٍ قَالَ: مَرِضْتُ مَرَضًا، فَجَاءَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَعُودُنِي. قَالَ: وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ السُّبْحَةِ فِي السَّفَرِ. فَقَالَ: صَحِبْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي السَّفَرِ، فَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ يُسَبِّحُ. وَلَوْ كُنْتُ مُسَبِّحًا لأَتْمَمْتُ. وَقَدْ قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ.

[1336–10]. (Dar al-Salam 1469) Khalaf ibn Hishām, Abu al-Rabīʿ al-Zahrānī and Qutaybah ibn Saʿīd narrated:vii they said: Ḥammād (who is Ibn Zayd) narrated [H]. Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb and Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm narrated to me; both said: Ismāʿīl narrated; both from Ayyūb; from Abu Qilābah; from Anas that ‘God’s Messenger prayed Ẓuhr in four rakʿahs in Madinah and prayed Asr in two rakʿahs at Dhul-Hulayfah’.

حَدَّثَنَا خَلَفُ بْنُ هِشَامٍ وَأَبُو الرَّبِيعِ الزَّهْرَانِيُّ وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالُوا: حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ (وَهُوَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ) ح. وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ وَيَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالا: حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ أَيُّوبَ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلاَبَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَّى الظُّهْرَ بِالْـمَدِينَةِ أَرْبَعًا، وَصَلَّى الْعَصْرَ بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ.

[1337–11]. (Dar al-Salam 1470) Saʿīd ibn Manṣūr narrated:viii Sufyān narrated; Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir and Ibrāhīm ibn Maysarah narrated; they heard Anas ibn Mālik say: ‘I offered Ẓuhr Prayer with God’s Messenger in Madinah in four rakʿahs and I offered ʿAṣr Prayer with him at Dhul-Hulayfah in two rakʿahs’.

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْـمُنْكَدِرِ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، سَمِعَا أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ يَقُولُ: صَلَّيْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الظُّهْرَ بِالْـمَدِينَةِ أَرْبَعًا، وَصَلَّيْتُ مَعَهُ الْعَصْرَ بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ.

[1338–12]. (Dar al-Salam 1471) Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah and Muhammad ibn Bashshār narrated:ix both from Ghundar; Abu Bakr said: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar Ghundar narrated; from Shuʿbah; from Yaḥyā ibn Yazīd al-Hunā’ī. He said: ‘I asked Anas ibn Mālik about shortening prayers. He said: "God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) offered his prayers in two rakʿahs when he had travelled three miles or three farsakhsx (the doubt is by Shuʿbah)".’

وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ غُنْدَرٍ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، غُنْدَر، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ يَزِيدَ الْهُنَائِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ عَنْ قَصْرِ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا خَرَجَ مَسِيرَةَ ثَلاَثَةِ أَمْيَالٍ، أَوْ ثَلاَثَةِ فَرَاسِخَ، (شُعْبَةُ الشَّاكُّ) صَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ.

[1339–13]. (Dar al-Salam 1472) Zuhayr ibn Ḥarb and Muham-mad ibn Bashshār narrated:xi both from Ibn Mahdī; Zuhayr said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mahdī narrated; Shuʿbah narrated; from Yazīd ibn Khumayr; from Ḥabīb ibn ʿUbayd; from Jubayr ibn Nufayr. He said: ‘I went with Shuraḥbīl ibn al-Simṭ to a village which was seventeen or eighteen miles away. He offered his prayer in two rakʿahs. I spoke to him and he said: "I saw ʿUmar praying in two rakʿahs at Dhul-Hulayfah. I questioned him and he said: ‘I am doing as I saw God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) do’."’

حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، جَمِيعًا عَنِ ابْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ، قَالَ زُهَيْرٌ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ خُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ حَبِيبِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ، عَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ قَالَ: خَرَجْتُ مَعَ شُرَحْبِيلَ بْنِ السِّمْطِ إِلَى قَرْيَةٍ عَلَى رَأْسِ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ أَوْ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ مِيلاً، فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْن. فَقُلْتُ لَهُ، فَقَالَ: رَأَيْتُ عُمَرَ صَلَّى بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا أَفْعَلُ كَمَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَفْعَلُ.

[1340–14]. (Dar al-Salamxii) Muhammad ibn al-Muthannā nar-rated the same to me: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar narrated; Shuʿbah narrated; with the same chain of transmission but he said Ibn al-Simṭ without naming Shuraḥbīl. He said: ‘He went to an area called Dūmīn near Ḥumṣ, at a distance of eighteen miles’.

وَحَدَّثَنِيهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْـمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَاد. وَقَالَ عَنِ ابْنِ السِّمْطِ، وَلَمْ يُسَمِّ شُرَحْبِيلَ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ أَتَى أَرْضًا يُقَالُ لَهَا دومِينُ مِنْ حِمْصَ عَلَى رَأْسِ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ مِيلاً.

[1341–15]. (Dar al-Salam 1473–1474) Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā al-Tamīmī narrated:xiii Hushaym reported; from Yaḥyā ibn Abi Isḥāq; from Anas ibn Mālik. He said: ‘We travelled with God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) from Madinah to Makkah and he offered prayers in two rakʿahs each until he went back’. I asked: ‘How long did he stay in Makkah?’ He said: ‘Ten days’.

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى التَّمِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: خَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنَ الْـمَدِينَةِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ، فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى رَجَعَ. قُلْتُ: كَمْ أَقَامَ بِمَكَّةَ؟ قَالَ: عَشْرًا.

Qutaybah narrated: Abu ʿAwānah narrated [H]. Abu Kurayb narrated; Ibn ʿUlayyah narrated; both from Yaḥyā ibn Abi Isḥāq; from Anas; from the Prophet (peace be upon him): the same text as Hushaym’s narration.

وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ قُتَيْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، ح. وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ، جَمِيعًا عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ هُشَيْمٍ.

[1342–000]. (Dar al-Salam 1475) ʿUbaydullāh ibn Muʿādh narrated: my father narrated; Shuʿbah narrated; Yaḥyā ibn Abi Isḥāq narrated to me. He said: I heard Anas ibn Mālik say: ‘We set out from Madinah for the pilgrimage…’. He added the same text.

وَحَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ يَقُولُ: خَرَجْنَا مِنَ الْـمَدِينَةِ إِلَى الْحَجّ. ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ.

[1343–000]. (Dar al-Salam 1476) Ibn Numayr narrated: my father narrated [H]. Abu Kurayb narrated; Abu Usāmah narrated; both from al-Thawrī; from Yaḥyā ibn Abi Isḥāq; from Anas; from the Prophet (peace be upon him): the same text but he did not mention the pilgrimage.

وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي ح. وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، جَمِيعًا عَنِ الثَّوْرِيِّ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: بِمِثْلِهِ، وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الْحَجَّ.

Text Explanation

In the first hadith, No. 1327, ʿĀ’ishah says: ‘When prayer was made a duty, it was two rakʿahs each, when at home and when travelling. Later, prayer on a journey remained the same but it was increased when at home’.

Scholars express different views regarding the shortening of prayers when a person is on a journey. Al-Shāfiʿī, Mālik ibn Anas and the majority of scholars say that both shortening the prayers and praying them in full are permissible, but shortening prayers is better. My own view is that offering the prayer complete is better, but also, I look at it differently and say that both completing and shortening the prayer are equally valid. The correct and well-known view is that shortening prayer when travelling is better. Abu Ḥanīfah and many scholars say that shortening prayers on a journey is a duty and praying them in full is wrong, citing this hadith in support and saying that on most occasions the Prophet and his Companions shortened their prayers. Al-Shāfiʿī and scholars who agree with him cite in support of their view a number of well-known hadiths related by Muslim and others, stating that the Prophet’s Companions travelled with God’s Messenger (peace be upon him), and some of them shortened their prayers and some prayed complete. Some of them fasted [if they travelled during Ramadan] and some did not. None of them criticised the others. They also said that ʿUthmān prayed in full, as did ʿĀ’ishah. This is the apparent meaning of the Qur’anic verse: ‘When you go forth on earth, you will incur no sin by shortening your prayers.’ (4: 101) This means permissibility and incurring no sin. The hadith that says: ‘prayer was made obligatory in two rakʿahs’, means that two rakʿahs were obligatory to those who wish to limit themselves to that. Two more rakʿahs were added as obligatory for anyone in residence, while the shorter prayer remained permissible and valid if one wished to stick to it. Given the permissibility of offering the prayer in full is confirmed by good evidence, it must be upheld.xiv

In hadith No. 1329, al-Zuhrī asks ʿUrwah: ‘How is it, then, that ʿĀ’ishah offers the prayer complete when she is travelling?’ He said: ‘She justified it as ʿUthmān did’. Scholars differ in their explanations of such justification. The correct view endorsed by leading scholars is that they considered both shortening prayers and offering them in full to be permissible, and they chose one of the two permissible options, which was to pray in full. Some scholars suggested that ʿUthmān was the leader of the believers and ʿĀ’ishah was their mother, which meant that wherever they were, they were in their own homes. This argument is rejected by leading scholars on the basis that the Prophet was more entitled to this than either ʿUthmān or ʿĀ’ishah, as were Abu Bakr and ʿUmar.

Other arguments are provided and rejected by leading scholars, such as that ʿUthmān married in Makkah, but this is rejected on the basis that the Prophet travelled with his wives and shortened the prayers. Another argument suggests that ʿUthmān did so because of the Bedouins who travelled with him. He wanted to make sure that they would not think that prayers were always in two rakʿahs, both at home and when on a journey. This is countered by the fact that this applied during the Prophet’s lifetime and he shortened the prayer. Moreover, by ʿUthmān’s time, prayer and its rulings were far better known. A further argument is that ʿUthmān intended to stay in Makkah after his pilgrimage, but this is countered by the fact that any stay in Makkah for more than three days was forbidden to the Muhājirīn, and ʿUthmān was one of them. Yet another argument says that ʿUthmān owned some land in Mina, but this is countered by the fact that this does not require him to pray in full and stay there. The correct view is the first [which makes clear that it is permissible to shorten prayers and to offer them complete when on a journey].

The view of al-Shāfiʿī, Mālik, Abu Ḥanīfah, Ahmad and the majority of scholars is that shortening prayers is permissible during every legitimate travel. Some early scholars make it a condition that it should be travel accompanied by fear, while others say that it must be travel to perform the pilgrimage, or the umrah, or to face an enemy, and others still said that it must be travel for some legitimate purpose. Al-Shāfiʿī, Mālik, Ahmad and the majority of scholars say that it is not permissible if the travel involves doing something in disobedience of God, but Abu Ḥanīfah and al-Thawrī say that it is permissible even then.

Al-Shāfiʿī, Mālik and their disciples, as well as al-Layth, al-Awzāʿī, those that are well versed in Fiqh among Hadith scholars and others maintain that shortening prayers is only permissible during travel that covers at least two stages, equal to forty-eight Hashimite miles.xv Abu Ḥanīfah and other Kūfī scholars say that for shortening prayer, the travel must be of a distance equal to three stages or more. This is also attributed to ʿUthmān, Ibn Masʿūd and Ḥudhayfah. Dāwūd and scholars of the Ẓāhirī School say that prayer is shortened in long and short travel, even in a journey of three miles [i.e. less than six kilometres].

In hadith No. 1330, the narrator Yaʿlā ibn Umayyah asks ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb about the Qur’anic verse and ʿUmar says: ‘I wondered the same as you wonder, and I asked God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) about it. He said: This is a charity God has given you. You should accept His charity.’ This confirms that it is permissible to say that God has been charitable to us, or has given us a charity, or to pray to Him to give us a charity. Some early scholars say that it is discouraged, but this is clearly wrong. I clarified this in my book al-Adhkār. The hadith makes clear that it is permissible to shorten prayers in situations other than that of being in fear. It also shows that when someone sees a better versed person doing something he finds problematic, he should ask him about it.

Hadith No. 1331 quotes Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘God has made prayer obligatory through your Prophet (peace be upon him): at home four rakʿahs, on a journey two rakʿahs and only one rakʿah in situations of fear’. A number of early scholars, such as al-Ḥasan, al-Ḍaḥḥāk and Isḥāq ibn Rāhawayh, implemented this hadith according to its apparent meaning. Al-Shāfiʿī, Mālik and the majority of scholars say